| July 10, 2008 | Thursday | Rajab 6, 1429 |
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Land reforms and Bhutto
Election of old Ravians
Taxing senior citizens
Terror on PIA’s Milan flight
Wrong facts
KU post office
Federer’s fight
Subsidy for industries
Cellphone users
Readers are requested to restrict their comments to a maximum of 400 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for reasons of clarity and space. Letters, including those by e-mail, should carry the complete postal address of the sender. The views expressed in these columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.—Editor
The recent bomb blasts in Karachi and Islamabad have proved to be another failure on the part of the intelligence agencies. Throughout the world, the intelligence agencies are meant to counter terrorist acts but in case of Pakistan they come and inform about the site of bomb blasts, the number of causalities and injured. Is this the job of professional people?
Sad incidents of killing police officers in Melody, Islamabad was very shocking as they were deputed to provide security to the participants of the Lal Masjid anniversary attendants. Islam is utterly against such brutal acts and being Muslims and Pakistanis, we reject the terrorists. We need to brood over these sad incidents as to who might be behind these terrorists’ acts. Who would gain benefit out of these?
Then the series of bomb blasts in Karachi led to another wave of terror among the Pakistani people. Such incidents are meant to destabilise Pakistan.
Although the Government of Pakistan has rejected such coward acts, mere lip service will not do anything. We need to revise our policies and formulate our foreign as well as domestic polices according to ground realities. The biggest reality today is that one cannot win wars with force. Dialogue is the best solution. We must seal our borders along Afghanistan and start working on the Madressa reforms. Afghan immigrants should be under strict check. Menace of bomb blasts has affected our stock market and as a result, the KSE is one of the worst and lowest in the history of Pakistan.
TAHIR IQBAL JADOON
Islamabad
(II)
A series of bomb blasts has hit Karachi. So what should we, the people of Pakistan, do? Should we watch the drama on our television screens and listen to interior ministers and city Nazims talk about what has happened, with fake assurances that it would never happen again? Or see headlines on TV channels about the number of dead and injured and the condemnation from the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan? Or distance ourselves from what has happened and go on with our daily activities with a heavy heart? The latter option is more suitable because now we have become used to this blood sport played by humans.
The killers do not know why they are killing and the victims do not know for what crime they are punished. The sufferers will be the by-standers…those who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, those whose lives were taken, their bodies mutilated, so that they could carry the message across. What was the message?
The message was that no one is safe from us. And God knows who ‘us’ is! To Pakistanis: Get on with your life, act as if nothing has happened and whenever you leave your homes (as even homes are not safe these days) say a prayer, put your trust in God and remember that when the time for death will come, no one can prevent it, unless God wishes to.
ANUM ATHAR
Karachi
(III)
The recent series of bomb attacks in Karachi are yet another proof of the extremely high cost of the “war on terror” which the Pakistani government is fighting at the behest of America and Britain. Eight years before, not many amongst the Pakistani masses were aware of the fact that this war would one day bring destruction and catastrophe at their very doorstep, as many saw the war as an Afghan problem, although they still disapproved of it.
However the policy makers, on the other hand exactly knew what was in store for Pakistan. Anyone having a fair idea of the geo-politics of the region knows that the Durand Line is more of a provincial division than an international border, meaning an attack on Helmand, Khost, Kandhar, Paktika, Nangahar and Konar would be considered by tribal Pakhtuns as an attack on NWFP and Balochistan. However, the policy makers chose to ignore this fact conjuring up the most unrealistic policy ever towards the Afghan populace, the policy of “Pakistan First” and unnaturally dividing the Pakhtuns within the borders drawn by the colonial British Empire.
Pakistan must accept that the war on terror was waged against itself, as much as it was against the Afghani Muslims. What the Americans want Pakistan to do is to continue this war for many decades to come, where Pakistan is expected to bomb, kill and arrest its own citizens or let them be bombed, killed or arrested by NATO and American forces. No matter what the Pakistani government and policy makers say, the fact remains that the war on terror is not our war. America is not in a position to coerce Pakistan in to submission after the Iraq debacle and what we are witnessing in Afghanistan. It is high time we part our ways from this immoral, inhumane, self destructive and anti-Islam war.
MOEZ MOBEEN
Islamabad
I . A. REHMAN in his article, ‘Time for land reforms’ (June 26) stressing the need for land reforms in Pakistan has written: “There may be in the PPP some who could own the legacy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.”
Mr Rehman does not seem to realise that actually Mr Bhutto’s legacy protected and preserved feudalism, otherwise how could his third generation progeny still be feudals owning vast tracks of land tilled by tens of thousands of poor farmers?
In the context of Japan, after World War II, a similar situation was described by the American general, MacArthur, as a practice of slavery. The general was instrumental in implementing genuine land reforms making the landless labourers as the owners throughout Japan.
When Mr Bhutto was going to announce land reforms, he forewarned all the big landlords urging them to engineer the records of land holdings by hiding the lands through fake transfers.
In the American Papers (published in Pakistan), it is revealed that in 1970 the military regime of Gen Yahya Khan was contemplating imposing income tax on the big landlords.
Mr Bhutto sent him a lengthy telegram of 700 words vehemently opposing the move. Since in Pakistan we have a system of plutocracy (dubiously termed as democracy), the legacy of Mr Bhutto is being followed faithfully.
SYED FEROZ SHAH GILANI
Lahore
IT was disappointing to read the results of the election of Old Ravians Union for 2008, held a couple of days ago. Kamran Lashari, chairman, CDA, Islamabad, has once again succeeded in getting the slot of president of the union; this time unopposed.
Lashari is a good old who has climbed to BS 21. I have no grudge against him, but am at a loss to believe the Old Ravians failed to unanimously find out someone from amongst those available in Lahore.
Way back in the early seventies, the Old Ravians Union in Rawalpindi Islamabad had requested prominent scientist Dr Munir Ahmad Khan, chairman, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, to be its patron and Aslam Azhar, managing director, PTV, as president.
The entire executive council was elected through consensus vote. Why can’t that example be followed here in Lahore where there is no dearth of distinguished illustrious old students of Government College, Lahore. We do have heavyweights like S. K. Mahmood, G. M. Paracha, Nisar Cheema, Pervez Masood, Shamdad Ahmad Khan, Professors M. A. Khan and R. A. Khan, besides several others who brought laurels to the college as students and later in practical life; from whom a president could be unanimously selected.
However, they would be the last people to beg for vote. After all, this is old students’ union and not young speakers union or main college union and these people are no more in teens.
Last but not the least, we should motivate the senior Ravians to come forward and man the union so that the younger generation learns from their achievements and experience.
The Ravians, I believe, are much above the dinners followed by musical evenings.
JAVED AHMAD MALIK
Lahore Cantt
APROPOS of the letter, ‘Taxing senior citizens’ (June 30), it is understood that even zakat donations and medical expenses of senior citizens are no more exempt from tax on the property income. Evidently this is perhaps an oversight.
The prime minister, the finance minister and the FBR chairman should order restoration of such exemption for zakat and medical expenses of senior citizens, apart from other facilities, as allowed all over the world and promised from time to time, including old-age pension, free medical expenses, travel, food concessions, etc.
Here it is worth mentioning that in many countries senior citizens are provided even free housing, free medical and attendant services where so required, travel concessions, besides utilising them as volunteers, with reasonable fees and other facilities, such as pick and drop, to benefit from their mature experience and free time, keeping them usefully occupied, thus avoiding deterioration to become dependent on the state.
It is hoped the government will consider adopting such policies while senior citizens’ organisations will also take up such issues through their own programmes.
SYED MOHSIN
Karachi
Airlines of repute try to come out with justifications in assuage the impact of rumors and misgivings of passengers following an accident, which could have fatal consequences. PIA the national airline of Pakistan failed to fulfill its obligations to passengers by only trying to cover up the anguish and physical trauma experienced by passengers on board a Boeing 777 on July 3, when it was due to land at Milan.
The aircraft and passengers were subjected to extremely bad weather and the pilot failed to avoid it though other aircrafts successfully had.
Boeing 777, we are told, has a state of the art technology with latest electronic gadget, designed to forewarn pilots of weather and other impending dangers. Educated viewers, who watch the National Geographic reproduction of aviation accidents are aware that accidents occur primarily because of human error, be it the pilot’s incompetence or technical faults left unattended.
Passengers on board Milan flight caught in severe weather and the deafening sound of hail were shouting and panicking all through the experience which could have been avoided instead of the criminal negligence of going through it. Reports by Milan electronic and print media reported serious damage to the aircraft structure and equipment which will cost the airline several million dollars. The aircraft is expected to remain dysfunctional for many weeks, which will further add to the losses of PIA, already plagued with mismanagement, incompetence, pilferages and political interference.
There seem to be serious flaws in training and selection of crew assigned to fly an expensive aircraft like 777, which carries over 300 passengers. What else can be said about a pilot who fails to avoid visibly bad weather detectable by radar and successfully avoided by scores of other aircrafts in circuit. Why is PIA letting experienced pilots, on whom the airline has invested billions of rupees on training, leave for other airlines?
Raw pilots with a mere CPL or engineers trained by PIA owe it to the airline. The most experienced pilots should be selected on such flights so that passenger lives and security are ensured and not subjected to such torment in future.
SHAHZAD KHALIL
U.A.E.
I WAS stunned to read Dr Zafar Altaf’s article, “Cricket’s no family affair, so let merit thrive”, (July 05) stating that Wazir Muhammad, Hanif Muhammad, Mushtaq Muhammad, Sadiq Muhammad, Shoaib Muhammad, Dr Jahangir Khan(India), Javed Burki, Imran Khan and I did not deserve to play for Pakistan.
He has however, lauded the present selectors for their merit, integrity and visionary selection. These are the same selectors who selected my son, Bazid Khan, to play for Pakistan against Bangladesh and tri-nation tournament in Dacca. So why has he rambled on about me and my son?
He has also stated that all Cabinet Ministers that he has dealt with as Secretary of Agriculture thought that they knew all about agriculture and cricket. Subjects, in which he clearly feels that he is the only expert.
He is clearly suffering from delusions of grandeur and I feel very sorry for him.
MAJID KHAN
Former test captain
Via e-mail
The Karachi University post office has been serving for the last 30 years or more. It caters to the demand of some 20,000 students, more than 2,000 employees, Rangers and other adjoining areas. It also receives utility bills and sells National Saving products. I have been using the post office for the last 30 years and was impressed that in all these years I lost only two or three letters, but have experienced 99 per cent efficiency.
However, if you look at the post office, nothing has changed in the last 30 years. The furniture and the office space are the same, even cramped. I was told that they are given Rs30 for stationery and Rs100 per month for janitorial service and this post office gets only Rs2 per bill compared to Rs3 by others.
Also, the staff has not been promoted or upgraded in the past so many years or increased to cope with the rush. All other post offices have new boards except this post office. There is no computer or digital scale either.
I will request the DG Pakistan Post to upgrade and renovate Karachi University’s post office and increase the staff or give the extra allowances required.
PROF MUHAMMAD IQBAL
Karachi
Everyone is celebrating Nadal’s win at Wimbledon. He surely played well but the real hero was Roger Federer. After being two sets down, he staged a stunning comeback, fought valiantly and won the next two sets in this epic match.
Even when he lost the Wimbledon finals, Federer showed how to lose, i.e. fight every millimetre, every point and every ball! Do not worry Roger, next year you will be back! Never give up!
RAJENDRA K. ANEJA
UAE
THE impact of increased gas prices on industry will lead to another slump. The textile industry is already facing a lot of challenges in trying to compete with prices with China and India in the international market.
Although it was necessary to increase gas prices, the government should have announced some subsidy prior to the increase in the gas tariffs to give industries the opportunity to meet the challenge and compete with the prices against China and India in the global market.
Being a marketing manager in a denim exporting company, I recently came back from a visit to seven countries and found that we are facing bigger challenges than China and India in terms of prices due to high price of cotton and other tariffs in our country.
After an increase in the gas tariff, we don’t have any option but to negotiate with them. Our government should be in full cognizance of the fact that oil price has not only increased in Pakistan but globally as well. It is time our government cut down on their luxurious lifestyle because the people of Pakistan have elected them to work for them and not for enjoying luxurious lifestyles.
I condemn the recent increase in gas tariffs for industries and have no doubt after meeting overseas buyers that we are headed for a disaster.
The government should announce a subsidy for industries to be able to compete in the international market.
AFTAB AHMED
Via email
Lately the practice of interfering and overhearing personal calls has emerged as a new source of harassment, blackmail and e stalking
Cellphone companies seem helpless and present the classical ostrich response of refusing to acknowledge the existence of any such problems.
As a first step the government and cellphone companies should acknowledge the existence of this problem. New laws should be enacted, if necessary, to prevent this abuse and severely punish those that are guilty of destroying the peace of mind of unsuspecting phone users.
A helpline should be set up and given wide publicity in this regard.
JAHANARA SAEED
Karachi
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